If any image summed up a disorganised Real Madrid side after Sunday’s 0-0 away to Real Betis, it was Vinicius Junior approaching the referee once the full-time whistle had blown. The Brazil winger was furious with the officials and had to be pulled away by team-mate Dani Ceballos amid the threat of a red card.
The goalless draw in Seville means Madrid are nine points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga. More worryingly, it is now 183 minutes since they last scored. Their last goal was the header eight days earlier from youth player Alvaro Rodriguez which rescued a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid. They were then defeated 1-0 at home to Barcelona in the fist leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final.
“I’m upset rather than angry at not being able to score in three games, apart from Alvaro Rodriguez’s set-piece goal, with the quality we have,” head coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the Betis game. “This upsets (us) a lot.”
Vinicius Jr was not the only Madrid forward to be frustrated on the night, but he was the centre of attention for opposition fans once again. Betis supporters mocked his missed shots during the warm-up, while a slip by the 22-year-old in the fifth minute provoked laughter and anti-Madrid chants.
GO DEEPER
Real Madrid have night to forget in Clasico defined by ugly moments
The South American was repeatedly fouled, and asked for greater protection from referee Cesar Soto Grado before he was shown a yellow card in the 84th minute for reasons which were unclear. Ceballos urged his team-mate to calm down, but Vinicius Jr was embroiled in an argument with Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo shortly afterwards which could have seen him sent off.
The result was an erratic performance in which Vinicius Jr tried everything but achieved nothing, losing the ball 21 times — more than anyone else on the pitch. But this was a match in which the whole Madrid team failed to impress.
The atmosphere was OK following Thursday’s loss to Barcelona, where they averaged 65 per cent possession but failed to produce a shot on target in a game for the first time since 2010.
Vinicius Junior was embroiled in a spat with Real Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and was frustrated during the goalless draw (Photo: Fermin Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Ancelotti had surprised observers with his comments after that defeat.
“I am satisfied with the game,” he said. “The game was the one we wanted and had to play and it gives us confidence for the second leg (next month). To come back, we have to do it again in Barcelona.”
While those words did not go down well with Madrid fans, the sentiments were shared by Ancelotti’s squad. They were repeated in the dressing room and acknowledged by the players.
Members of the coaching staff and players, who spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity to protect their positions, said they were far from alarmed by the single-goal loss to their arch rivals. There was no sense of drama or apocalyptic talk.
“There is a long way to go and a lot of things are going to happen,” one player high up in the dressing room hierarchy said. “It will help us going into Camp Nou having to win as the only possibility.” Another added: “Come on, come on, we have to keep going like this!”
The mood in the ranks darkened, however, after the Betis result.
While sources stressed that Madrid had created enough chances in the second half to win, they seemed less optimistic. “We’re fucked,” one voice said. “In a game like this, we must score a goal.”
Real Madrid have failed to score in 183 minutes in all competitions (Photo: Cristina Quicler/AFP via Getty Images)
Sources close to the coaching staff say one of the reasons for the goal drought could be a slump suffered by Madrid’s forwards.
Since the club season resumed in late December after the break for the playing of the World Cup, Real have failed to score in three of their 10 La Liga matches. They have managed five wins in those games, with three draws and two defeats.
Madrid’s distribution of goals (excluding penalties) has also been worrying: Marco Asensio has scored three times and Karim Benzema twice, while Toni Kroos, Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde and Rodriguez all have one each.
Real Madrid know they need a striker and are looking at options — here’s why
Ancelotti’s side are missing a best-form Benzema. At this point last season, the Frenchman had been involved in 39 goals. That figure has dropped to 22 at the same stage of this one, during which he has turned 35.
There is also a sense these struggles could have been avoided if Madrid had brought in adequate reinforcements last summer. Ancelotti pointed out the need for new signings during that transfer window after Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League last year, but the board disagreed.
Madrid are missing Karim Benzema in his best form (Photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Ancelotti understands why Madrid were prudent financially, but he also knows this policy puts his own position at risk. The Italian knows that not winning a major title this season would mean he’d be unable to continue at the Bernabeu into next season.
“Yes, the configuration of the squad seems normal to me,” Ancelotti said, in typically diplomatic fashion, when asked about the players at his disposal.
But something is clearly wrong at Madrid, and that could be seen in Ancelotti’s touchline behaviour against Betis. He reacted angrily when Soto Grado consulted VAR before disallowing a free-kick goal from Benzema and when Eduardo Camavinga was shown a yellow card.
Ancelotti was not convinced by his substitute options, although he did eventually make changes. Lucas Vazquez kicked out at the bench after being replaced by Dani Carvajal, Asensio was not called upon at all despite having spent half an hour warming up and looked upset.
Carlo Ancelotti showed his frustration in the dugout against Betis (Photo: Fermin Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Ancelotti did bring on Rodriguez — but only with three minutes left of normal time, when the Uruguayan striker had been warming up since the 66th minute.
Rodriguez constantly looked at Ancelotti during those 21 minutes he spent getting ready, as if asking to be given a chance to change the game. Meanwhile, the Madrid boss and his son and assistant Davide discussed options as they searched for something they could not find.
When Rodriguez was finally sent on, Madrid did not take advantage of his height and stopped crossing into the box. That was something even Ancelotti struggled to understand. “I agree with this,” he said. “We didn’t choose the best possible solution (to make the most of Rodriguez’s qualities).”
But his Betis counterpart Manuel Pellegrini cut straight to the point when asked about Madrid’s issues in attack.
“With Rodrygo, Benzema and Vinicius, you can’t talk about an inoffensive Real Madrid,” he said, referring to the forwards who started against his side.
In theory, Pellegrini is right. In practice, Madrid have a problem.
Source: theathletic.com
